1 Timothy 6:16 and the First Vision

            By: Michael Flournoy

            Bring up the fact that Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son, and many Christians will turn to 1 Timothy 6:16 which says no man has seen, or can see the Father.  While we as Latter-day Saints can sidestep the first half of this argument by virtue of Joseph’s vision happening after the verse was written, Paul’s assertion that no man can see the Father puts Joseph’s account in a tough spot.

            Here are three possible reconciliations between the First Vision and 1 Timothy 6:16.

1.      Transfiguration: 1 Timothy 6:16 is a natural rule that God in his omnipotence can defy by temporarily endowing a human being with the ability to see Him and live.  While not explicitly stated, the Bible does imply this happened to Stephen.  In The Acts 7:55-56 we read: But he, “being full of the Holy Ghost” looked up into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.  And said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” 

Many Christians will argue that this verse says Stephen saw God’s glory, and not the Father, but a careful look at the grammar in these verses will reveal otherwise.  It states that Stephen saw the glory of God, (see that comma?) AND (emphasis mine) Jesus standing on the right hand of God.  Stephen knew exactly where Jesus was standing in relation to the Father.  Why?  Because he could see the Father clearly.  Of course I’ve had people explain to me that you can see someone talking to someone else around a corner without ever actually seeing the other person, but this explanation is a bit of a stretch in regards to Stephen’s vision.  There is no mention that the Father was hiding around a corner, in fact, it says Stephen was looking straight up and the heavens were “open”.

2.      Joseph Smith and Stephen did not technically see the Father, the Holy Ghost saw Him for them.  In Mark 13:11 Jesus tells his disciples that when they are delivered up they should not plan what to say, but should speak whatever is given them because it is not them speaking, but the Holy Ghost.  It would be their mouths moving and their voices sounding out the words, but in the most technical sense it would actually be the Holy Ghost speaking.

In The Acts 7 we read that Stephen was filled with the Holy Ghost before seeing the Father and the Son.  It stands to reason that since the Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead, he can see the Father.  After all, in Matthew 18:10 Jesus claims that angels “always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven”.  It shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that technically the Holy Ghost saw God through Joseph’s eyes.   

3.      Joseph Smith saw God indirectly through a vision.  Joseph’s account states that the Father and the Son appeared before him in a pillar of light and spoke to him face to face.  However, verse 20 of Joseph Smith-History confesses an interesting ending to this visitation.  Says Joseph, “I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven…”  Some Latter-day Saints have suggested that Joseph Smith’s vision was just that: a vision, a dream.  Truly, the experience of finding oneself often happens upon waking. 

Of course, this is where critics will chime in and support the idea that the First Vision was a dream… of the fictional variety.  But assuming that Joseph was honest in his account, this cannot be so, since he describes the light fading away after coming to himself.